Europe|Search Is On for King Henry I, Who May Be Buried Under a Parking Lot

Advertisement

Supported by

Search Is On for King Henry I, Who May Be Buried Under a Parking Lot

Image

Technicians used ground-penetrating radar at the site of a former abbey in Reading, England, as part of a survey they hope will reveal the burial place of King Henry I.CreditCreditReading Borough Council

LONDON — Looking for a dead medieval king? You might want to check under a parking lot.

That theory, at least, is on the minds of archaeologists and historians in Reading, about 40 miles west of London, who this week will begin searching for the high altar of the abbey founded by King Henry I. They believe that the altar — and, they hope, the king’s remains — could be under the parking lot of a local prison, near the abbey ruins. The area around a nearby nursery school will also be searched.

Nearly four years ago, archaeologists discovered King Richard III’s grave under a parking lot in Leicester, about 100 miles northwest of London, on the site of a former monastery.

Henry I, who ruled from 1100 to 1135, reportedly died after eating lampreys, a kind of jawless fish. A son of William the Conqueror, who ascended to the throne after the death of his elder brother William II, Henry has been described as a usurper because he seized the crown while another elder brother was away on a Crusade. Henry also had a reputation for cruelty; he is said to have had the tips of the noses of two of his granddaughters cut off. But he is also credited with strengthening the monarchy and putting in place efficient — if sometimes oppressive — administrative policies.

John Mullaney, a historian who is part of the team undertaking the search, said that archaeologists knew “within a few yards” where Henry was probably buried. He said the team would use ground-penetrating radar to search the area around the prison, and around a nearby nursery school.

Image

A 1916 painting depicting the burial of King Henry I.CreditReading Museum

“We know from burial records that Henry was buried in front of the high altar in the old abbey,” Mr. Mullaney said in a telephone interview. “The aim is to find the footprint of the old abbey. We don’t know if his remains will still be there.”

As to whether a former monarch would roll in his grave at the prospect of spending eternity under a parking lot, Mr. Mullaney was philosophical.

Image

The grounds of the Reading Abbey. John Mullaney, a historian who is part of the team undertaking the search, said that archaeologists knew “within a few yards” where Henry was probably buried.CreditReading Borough Council

“I’m afraid that England is a nation of car drivers,” he said. “We are a small country and most people travel by cars, so we need lots of car parks. Henry was a reforming king and would have been fascinated by the idea of cars and transport, and may well have liked being buried under a car park.”

The historian’s wife, Lindsay Mullaney, a linguist and amateur historian who is also involved in the search, said that Henry was a ladies’ man who fathered 24 children outside of marriage. “He was addicted to lust,” she said by telephone. He died in Normandy, which at the time was part of his realm. His decaying body was brought back to Britain and he was buried in Reading Abbey, which, she said, he had hoped would become the mausoleum of future kings.

Mr. Mullaney said that Henry, as a man of learning, would have preferred being buried under a school or, even better, in a place of worship: “He was a religious man and so I think he would have preferred being buried in a church.”

Until Richard III’s bones were discovered in Leicester, his grave had been unmarked for over 500 years. He was buried by men who killed him at the Battle of Bosworth. The bones were transferred, with much ceremony, to a new tomb in Leicester Cathedral in March 2015.

A version of this article appears in print on , Section A, Page 4 of the New York edition with the headline: The Search Is On for King Henry I, Who May Be Buried Under a Parking Lot. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe